Niccolo Agostino

Niccolo Agostino (28 May 1075-10 January 1111) was a Venetian Republic merchant who opened up shop in Limassol in the aftermath of the First Crusade.

Biography
Agostino was a Venetian sailor who sold goods as far as the Orient, and he set up a market in Limassol on Cyprus in the aftermath of the First Crusade. Not only did he sell goods, but he also got rid of competition so that he would be the paramount businessman in the city. Funded by the Knights Templar, he also ran the weapons black market trade and was a colleague of Alfonso VI of Castile.

In 1110, Cyprus was conquered from the Byzantine Empire by the Spanish, who were led by Alfonso in person. The fall of Cyprus was crucial for the Templars setting up a naval base in order to invade the Holy Lands, and Agostino sold weapons and armor to the occupation forces. When the Templars received news that an Assassin had killed Vasileios, the late Byzantine governor, he equipped Templar assassins.

Death
Assassin Nikolaos found out about his scheme to eliminate the Assassins on the island, and he geared up to extermintae Agostino and his market first. From late 1110 to early 1111 Nikolaos killed Agostino's black market cronies to weaken his position, and he learned from one of them that he had set up an operation within the Plaza del Reyes.

Nikolaos headed to the plaza, where he saw Niccolo and a few bodyguards inspecting the market. Wasting no time, Nikolaos ran up to Niccolo and stabbed him in the neck after knocking him down. In his dying breaths, Niccolo told Nikolaos that he only did what he saw was a profitable job, and that he only wanted money.